Golden Door Film Festival
The Golden Door Film Festival is a film festival in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, which was inaugurated in 2011. The four-day festival shows features, documentaries, and shorts. The opening and closing night awards ceremony are located at the 1929 movie palace Loew's Jersey Theatre at Journal Square with many screenings and other events at various Downtown venues. The festival was founded by actor, producer, and musician Bill Sorvino. There are competitive awards for features, shorts, documentaries, student works, LBGT-themed films and the Women in Cinema-Alice Guy-Blaché Award for female directors.
America's Golden Door
The Statue of Liberty National Monument, comprising Liberty Island and Ellis Island, is located in the Upper New York Bay opposite Liberty State Park in Jersey City. "I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" is the last line of "The New Colossus," the poem by Emma Lazarus. Many immigrants passed through the city's Communipaw Terminal and it is sometimes referred to as "America's Golden Door". The festival's name is inspired by the immigrant experience.2011
The first festival took place on October 14 to 17, 2011. 43 films were shown and there were 18 categories for competition. Lifetime achievement awards were given to Academy Award winner Leon Gast and Paul Sorvino. Night Club by director Sam Borowski won awards for Best Feature, Best Director of a Feature, Best Male Lead in a Feature, Best Female Lead in a Feature, and Best Acting by a Supporting Actor/Actress. Life! Camera Action... and Another Day Another Life also picked up several nominations.2012
Fiftythree films were screened during the 2012 festival held on October 11 through 14, 2012. Two new categories for competition were added: the Student Filmmaker Award and the Women in Film-Alice Guy Blache Award, named for Alice Guy-Blaché, the narrative film director whose studio was located in Fort Lee, the birthplace of America's first motion picture industry at the beginning of the 20th century. Guy-Blaché is also considered a pioneer in the business.Michael Wolfe's Maybe Tomorrow won several awards including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Best Supporting Actor went to Dominik Tiefenthaler.
2013
The 2013 festival opened on October 10 with the documentary Fall to Grace about former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey. Armand Assante was given a lifetime achievement award. Sorvino announced that he would be working with Saint Peter's University to develop a film institute.2014
The 2014 festival was held on September 16 through 21 throughout Jersey City, with its opening night and awards ceremony at the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre. Autism awareness was now one of the philanthropic missions of the festival. Tommy Hilfiger, on the board of Autism Speaks, became a sponsor of the festival in 2014, and kicked off the event.The two opening films were Six Letter Word, a short about autism, and The Odd Way Home. 92 films were shown during the festival. Best fFlm this year was African Gothic, which also won Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Editor. Garry Pastore's Destressed best documentary.
2015
The festival took place from September 24 to 27. Brute Force, a Jersey City native, performed with Daughter of Force at Brightside Tavern after a showing of a documentary about his life and work. Many events took place at New Jersey City University.The organisation screened JR's Ellis in November.